Esteban Gutiérrez doesn’t doubt his ability to perform on the track despite not racing since 2014 in Formula 1, with the Mexican returning this season after being signed by Haas F1 team for their debut season.
Last season Gutiérrez was reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari after losing his Sauber race seat at the end of the 2014 season, but after only driving an F1 car twice last year, the 24-year-old is confident he will be able to re-adapt quickly.
“I’m not concerned because I have prepared myself in the best way that I could, with the tools I had,” Gutiérrez told reporters at the Haas factory on Tuesday. “So I think when you optimise your preparation based on what you can get, I’m confident that I can go back to racing with no problem.”
Gutiérrez does not see his drive with Haas as a stepping stone towards a race seat with a bigger team, insisting he can make the best out of his opportunity with the American team.
“I’m very committed to Haas, to the project,” he added. “I have a big trust and belief on the project and I want to make the best out of this opportunity. As long as we can work together, it will be the same mentality.
“So let’s see what comes up in the future. Obviously I want to get to a winning level. It really doesn’t matter which team it is, but I want to be winning in the near future.”
